What a Wonderful World
by Fiones
Summary: After an assassination attempt on Wolfram leaves the denizens of Blood Pledge Castle in shock, Yuuri takes it upon himself to assign Wolfram a lone personal knight who’ll place Wolfram’s wellbeing above even the king’s safety.
1. Cease Fire

**Title:** What a Wonderful World  
**Author:** Alice  
**Fandom(s):** Kyou Kara Maou!  
**Spoilers:** Spoilers through to the end of the second season; some hints at the events from the OVAs but not in great detail.  
**Pairings/Characters: **Yuuri/Wolfram, Conrad&Wolfram  
**Summary:** After an assassination attempt on Wolfram leaves the denizens of Blood Pledge Castle in shock, Yuuri takes it upon himself to assign Wolfram a lone personal knight who'll place Wolfram's wellbeing above even the king's safety.  
**Part:** 1/(?)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** Violence and gay; the best combination in the world. 8')  
**Disclaimer:** Alice does not own Kyou Kara Maou. And you all should be very, very thankful for that.  
**Author's Notes: **Let's start taking bets on whether Alice will actually finish a multi-chaptered story for the first time since her fanfiction writing career started back in… 2001? Ahahaha. ♥

* * *

**Chapter One: Cease Fire**

"Is all this really necessary?" the young king asked, sheepishly, dark eyes roaming around the ball room and taking in all the extravagant decorations being set up. A bit _too _extravagant for his taste. "I mean, I understand that the king's birthday is an important event here, but this seems like a little much."

He turned to look at his lilac haired advisor, who opened his mouth to respond, when a voice from behind them cut in.

"You act as though this party is actually for you, wimp."

Yuuri whirled around, brow furrowed to face the blond prince, who was observing the room with interest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wolfram tapped his foot briefly, not looking directly at the king for a moment before finally settling his gaze upon him. "It's not like it's a personal party for you and your close friends. It's more like a ceremony, or rather, an excuse for a large number of powerful nobles to come together and have a ball. So these 'oh-so-extravagant' decorations that you dislike are less _for_ your liking and more to impress the nobles that will be attending."

Yuuri's eyebrows rose at this. "Eh? An excuse? Why do they need an excuse?"

He received an eye roll in response. "Unlike you, most nobles and people of power aren't lazy and actually have duties and such that they need to attend to and carry out, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for fun. A celebration in honor of the king, however, is a perfect excuse to take time off of work and spend a night socializing and enjoying themselves."

"Oh," Yuuri said, blinking. "That… makes sense, I guess. Is that true, though, Günter?"

He turned once more to look at his advisor, who seemed to be recovering from the shock at being so rudely cut off, but the moment he was directly addressed by his king, he brightened considerably, though he tried to maintain his professional appearance, at least while they were in the company of the maids and workers putting effort into making the ballroom look fabulous. He nodded, vigorously, before speaking. "Unfortunately, Your Majesty, that is very much the case. Very few of the guests attending the ball are coming strictly to celebrate your birthday, though many will most likely put on an act to indicate otherwise when in your presence. Most are just looking for a reason to come and enjoy themselves, as Lord von Bielefeld stated." Wolfram nodded, satisfied with Günter's response.

The king scratched his head, glancing around at the people rushing around the room, trying to prepare everything for the event coming in less than a week's time. "Well… I suppose, if that's the case, then this isn't so bad. Not really my style, but if it'll make the guests happy, then I'm fine with it."

Günter clapped his hands together in excitement. "That is most excellent news, Your Majesty! I shall continue to oversee the preparations as usual, then! You are most considerate to sacrifice your personal preferences for the good of your guests! I am so privileged to be in-"

He was cut off by Wolfram once again, who didn't even seem to notice that Günter was speaking at the moment. "We need to discuss some things about the ball, wimp. Come with me."

Yuuri opened his mouth to protest but before he could get a word out, Wolfram had grabbed him by the wrist and was dragging him out of the ballroom, with Günter sputtering behind them.

Shibuya Yuuri had come to expect a great many things in his time in Shin Makoku; being dragged around the castle by a frustrated Wolfram was one of them. And in his time he'd learned the best way to cope with the prince's somewhat aggressive tendencies was generally to just shut up and bear it. He was less likely to get killed that way. So as Wolfram pulled him through various corridors and past several maids and servants who shot them sneaky smiles and girlish giggles, Yuuri kept silent and waited for it to be over.

They reached their shared bedroom without any incidents and Wolfram pulled Yuuri inside, quickly shutting the door behind him. He released the king's wrist and leaned heavily against the door, looking the confused boy up and down. Finally, he broke the silence. "So… how much do you know about our costumes concerning balls such as this? Or should I say, how much did you actually bother to pay attention too?"

There was a pause. "Umm… well, there's lots of guests, many of whom I need to greet personally, and uuuuuuh, there'll be food and drink and. Um. Yeah, that's all I know." He scratched the back of his neck, sheepishly, and gave Wolfram an attempt at a grin, which was repaid with a glare.

"So you don't know about the dance, then?"

The king blinked. "Uh. Dance?"

Wolfram let out a frustrated sigh and brought his hand to his head to massage his temple. "Yes, you wimp! The dance! It's typical at a ball for there to be dancing, and you, as the king and guest of honor, are supposed to start the dance off!"

Yuuri's eyes widened and he stared at Wolfram as though he'd grown a second head. "Me?! I'm supposed to start off? Why?"

"I just told you! You're the king and it's your birthday! It's only natural that you start off the dance. You and your partner dance in the center of the ballroom while everyone watches and then other couples join in and that's how it goes! That's not complicated to understand."

There was another pause as Yuuri narrowed his eyes at Wolfram. "Partner?"

"What, do you intend to waltz with yourself? Of course you're going to have a dancing partner!"

"And I assume that's going to be you?"

"Who else would it be?"

Yuuri sighed. So _this _was why Wolfram wanted to talk to him. He could have guessed. "Wolfram… are you sure about this?"

"Why, are you incapable of dancing?"

"No! I'll have you know I can dance just _fine_!"

Wolfram crossed his arms and frowned at Yuuri. "What's the problem, then?"

Yuuri opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself and shut it, mentally heaving a sigh. He gave Wolfram a pitiful frown, which earned him an eye-roll. "Really, wimp, don't you know anything? As your fiancé, it is expected that I be your dancing partner. Do you realize the kind of slander that I would receive if you were to dance with another? Especially in the presence of my family?"

"Oh… you're right," Yuuri said, eyes widening as realization hit him. The embarrassment to Wolfram and his family name if the man he was engaged to refused to be seen dancing with him would not go over well. Not well at all. "I… see your point. I guess… I'll just have to dance with you then." He shot Wolfram a serious look. "But only one dance, Wolfram! I don't really like dancing all that much to begin with, so I think that's all I'd really be in the mood for anyway. I'd much rather go around and socialize."

Wolfram snorted. "You would." He used his shoulder to push himself off the wall and he strode forward, his eyes remaining on Yuuri. "That's fine; I'm not going to force you to dance with me the whole night. Just one dance is all I ask."

Yuuri nodded. "Good, now that that's cleared up, is it okay if I go?"

Wolfram nodded and Yuuri mentally let out a whoop and rushed past him. When his hand grasped the doorknob, he heard Wolfram call his name and glanced over his shoulder at the blond. "What?"

Wolfram stared at him intently for a moment before shaking his head. "Pay more attention to Günter from now on. I don't want to have to explain every little aspect of our culture to you all the time when it's his job to teach it to you, and by extension, your job to listen and learn. Honestly…"

"Ehehehe," Yuuri laughed, embarrassed. He nodded. "I'll definitely look into that," he said quickly, before turning, and throwing open the door and heading out.

* * *

"Why are there so many frilly cuffs on this?"

"Because that is the fashion generally worn to this type of gathering, your majesty."

"_Why_?"

"Because that is the fashion of the time, your majesty. The current, how would you call it? The current 'trend.'"

"People actually like wearing this sort of thing?"

"Yes, your majesty."

A sigh. "It's _Yuuri_."

A chuckle. "Of course, your majesty."

"CONRAD!"

"I'm sorry, your maj- Yuuri." Another chuckle and another sigh.

Yuuri turned from where he was standing in front of the mirror and shot a pout at his Godfather, who was leaning against the wall near to the door, already fully dressed for the occasion. "I look ridiculous," he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to fully show his outfit. It was black, as per usual, with several white frill trimmings and cuffs, and looked all around goofy. Conrad let out a laugh and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, I know for an absolute fact that there will be people attending here tonight who look far more ridiculous than you do, Yuuri."

"Yes, well, they aren't the ones who have to go and greet everyone and have everybody's eyes on them," Yuuri commented, turning back to the mirror and pulling at his collar. "This is really acceptable? _Really_?"

Conrad laughed again, nodding. "Perfectly! Honestly, Yuuri, it's fine. Wolfram probably has more frills, if that's what you're concerned about."

Yuuri sighed and nodded, running his hands down his overcoat, smoothing out any wrinkles. "I guess… by the way, is Wolfram ready, do you know?"

Conrad remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I wouldn't know, I haven't had the opportunity to see him. I doubt he'd want me checking in on him, but I suspect he's ready or getting ready. He was looking forward to this, and knows how important it's supposed to be, so I doubt he'd risk being late."

The king tugged on his collar once more for good measure before glancing over his shoulder at the other man. He remained silent for a moment before speaking up in a quiet voice. "Conrad… why do you let Wolfram treat you the way he does?"

Conrad didn't respond at first and stared hard at the ground. Yuuri was about to open his mouth to repeat the question when he raised his head and spoke, slowly. "I'd rather be acknowledged in a negative light than not be acknowledged at all."

Yuuri blinked at him, confused. "So… what, you'd rather he be rude to you, yell at you, and tell you he hates you rather than not speak to you at all?"

"That's exactly right."

"_Why_? Why would you put yourself through that?"

"You're very inquisitive tonight, Yuuri."

"That's not answering the question."

Conrad sighed and brought a hand up to rub his neck. "I suppose it gives him hope that there's still a chance to reconcile. If he didn't speak to me at all, didn't acknowledge me, there'd be no hope. As long as he still speaks to me, even if it is in the way that he does, he still notices me. He knows that I'm here. And that gives me hope."

There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence between them as Yuuri turned this information over in his mind. "That's… that's sad, Conrad."

Conrad's eyebrows rose.

"No, no! Not sad in a 'that's pathetic' way, sad in a 'that's depressing' way."

"I don't look at it that way."

"That's weird."

Conrad shrugged. "In any case, I think it's almost time to be heading down. Ready?"

Yuuri nodded, giving himself one last disgruntled look in the mirror. "Yes… I'm perfectly prepared to go down and embarrass myself in this outfit."

Conrad chuckled, finally moving forward and placing a comforting hand on the young king's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll love it. They'll love you. I'm sure the von Bielefelds at the very least will be entertained."

"Yeah, I'm sure they- … WAIT!" Yuuri whirled around to face Conrad, his eyes wide. "The von Bielefelds?! You mean Wolfram's father?!"

Yuuri could have sworn he saw Conrad visibly flinch and his hands clenched into fists at his side, but it passed quickly and he relaxed and Yuuri couldn't be sure if he'd truly seen it happen or not. "Ah, no, but it is his father's family. The head of the von Bielefeld family, Amalric von Bielefeld, and his two children will be attending this evening."

"Oh… that's his uncle and cousins, then? Why isn't his father coming?"

Conrad stared intently at the floor for a moment before speaking, slowly and calculatedly. "His father died when Wolfram was still very young."

"Oh…" was all Yuuri could manage to say. He hadn't known, had barely even acknowledged the fact that Wolfram had a father, and this piece of information explained quite possibly a lot. He knew Conrad's father was long gone, and had assumed the same for Gwendal's, but he'd never dwelled on the whereabouts or existence of Wolfram's.

"Even if he was alive," Conrad muttered to himself, low enough that the king couldn't hear him, "I doubt he'd attend anyway." He raised his gaze up and gave Yuuri a reassuring smile. "They tend to be busy quite a lot of the time, but Amalric and his family are lovely people so I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting them, and they you. Come on, it's time to head down."

Yuuri nodded, and gulped, a feeling of dread settling over him as he marched towards the door, determined. Conrad opened the door for him, a look of amusement on his face, and followed him out after closing the door. They made their way through the various winding halls of the castle towards the ballroom, and Yuuri, possibly in an attempt to distract himself from thoughts of what was to come, continued to bombard Conrad with questions. "So who else is coming?" he asked, as they turned a corner. "I know you told me Lord von Wincott and Stoffel and Raven will be here, but what about Anissina's family? Günter's family? Or Lady Flynn?"

"Anissina's older brother was scheduled to attend but it's my understanding that he has been feeling under the weather lately and was unable to make the trip. Anissina won't be here, either, as she staying behind to look after him. Lady Flynn will be in attendance. As for the von Kleists… it'll just be Günter and Gisela, as per usual."

"Does Günter even _have _any other family?"

"Yes." The one word answer was enough to tell Yuuri that he wasn't likely to get any more information than that, and though he was interested, he felt, for the time being, it was good to leave it at that. And it wasn't as though he had that much of a choice; they'd reached the doors to the ballroom.

Two guards were stationed at the doors, fully armed and alert, but they both bowed deeply before the king and a quick, "Welcome, your majesty," before they opened the doors to allow Yuuri and his Godfather into the elaborately decorated ballroom. Yuuri took a deep breath and with a gentle push forward from Conrad, took a step into the room. Without warning, trumpets blared on either side of him and he let out a startled gasp and looked around, eyes wide, and Günter, who apparently had been standing at the door waiting for Yuuri to arrive, announced in a loud, excited voice for all to hear, "PRESENTING HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, SHIBUYA YUURI, THE 27th MAOU OF SHIN MAKOKU. And Conrart Weller, the Lion of Lüttenburg," he added, shooting a glance and nod at Conrad, who seemed taken aback at being announced in such a way.

"Um, thank you, Günter," Yuuri said, nodding at the advisor, who let out a swoon of joy at the acknowledgement from the king. Yuuri scratched the back of his neck, already embarrassed, and turned to face the crowd of people gathered in the hall, all of whom had looked up at the sound of the trumpets, and many of whom seemed to be preparing themselves to bombard the king. He leaned back, closer to Conrad and whispered, frantic, "I'm not going to have to make a speech or something now, am I?"

"Lucky for you, no, though you _are _expected to personally greet _all _your guests," Conrad replied, looking down at Yuuri with sympathy.

Yuuri sighed. "Well, that's better than having to do a speech at least," he said, and that seemed reasonable in his head. "Okay, where do I start?"

"Well, here comes Wolfram, so I believe he'll be the one accompanying you. I'm going to speak with Gwendal now, but call me if you need me for anything."

Yuuri quickly caught sight of the blond prince walking towards them and nodded. "Alright… enjoy yourself, Conrad."

"You as well, Yuuri." He bowed, briefly, before disappearing into the crowd to find Gwendal. Wolfram was at Yuuri's side in another moment.

Wolfram, as Conrad had predicted, had more frills than Yuuri did. He was wonderfully dressed in a blue overcoat with a white undershirt (complete with collar and frills, frills, _frills_) and blue trousers. It didn't look that far off from his normal uniform, but far more formal and 'pretty.' It was in moments like these that Yuuri was reminded that Wolfram really was his mother's son. "Alright, wimp, time to start greetings the guests. As your escort, I'll naturally be accompanying you."

Yuuri grinned, shyly. "Yeah, alright." Wolfram could be a bit overbearing at times, and the word 'escort' made Yuuri inwardly flinch (as did the word 'wimp,') but at least he wouldn't have to go through with this alone.

The next hour or so was a bit of a blur for Yuuri and Wolfram. They moved very little, as every few minutes another noble and their entire family would appear to shake Yuuri's hand and have a short chat with him about a great many things Yuuri hardly understood, but he nodded all the same and smiled and pretended he did. They had a brief exchange with Lord von Wincott, as well as Lady Flynn, both of whom Yuuri was thrilled to see and spoke to just a little bit longer. When the line of guests coming to greet them started to slow down, Yuuri and Wolfram moved their way around the ballroom to where the beverages were being served but before they could get there, they were cut off by a high-pitched squeal of delight and a loud yell of, "COUSIN WOLFY!" Before Wolfram could even turned around, a girl about his age with long, straight blonde hair, propelled herself at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. "It's been so long since last I saw you, how are you?! Oh, well, you must be alright, you're engaged to his majesty! Is that thrilling? I've heard a lot about the kinds of adventures you two go on, ooooh, it must be so exciting!"

"Cousin Freya," Wolfram greeted, somewhat breathless from having her crash into him, and raised his hand to pat her on the head awkwardly. "It's… nice to see you too."

She released him and stepped back and Yuuri got his first real look at another member of Wolfram's family. She looked a lot like him, though her hair was straight and flat where Wolfram's had bounce to it, but other than that the family resemblance was all too clear, down to the same green eyes. And Yuuri noted, with a bit of surprise, that Wolfram's father must have really been a good looking guy as well, if his side of the family was just as lovely as Lady Cheri's.

And she didn't even seem to notice Yuuri was there. Fantastic.

"Where are Cousin Isaak and Uncle Amalric?" Wolfram asked, looking around for the rest of his family, curiously.

Freya tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment before she snapped her fingers and answered excitedly. "Father and big brother said they were going to go greet Lady Cheri and Lord von Voltaire and Lord Weller before coming to see you! That was awhile ago, though, sooooo they should be here soon." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger absent-mindedly for a moment before she suddenly seemed to notice Yuuri standing there next to Wolfram, looking a tad bit lost and confused. She whirled to face him fully and clapped her hands together in excitement, a smile spreading across her face. "You must be his majesty, yes? Hello! I'm Freya von Bielefeld; it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" At this she bowed, deeply, before shooting back up into a straight position and not missing a beat. "Like I told Cousin Wolf, I heard a lot about your adventures! You sound like a very brave king!" Yuuri could have sworn he saw genuine stars in her eyes in that moment.

And in another instant it was gone and she was back to chattering away at Wolfram. Both Wolfram and Yuuri were only half listening to what she was saying and nodded whenever it felt appropriate to do so. Yuuri was far too concerned with the impending dread of the upcoming dance, and Wolfram kept glancing around, presumably to look for his uncle and other cousin. After a few minutes, a grin spread across his face and Yuuri followed his line of vision and saw a man and a young man who could only have been a few years older than Yuuri and Wolfram approaching them. The young man looked almost exactly like Freya, but his hair only just brushed his shoulders while Freya's fell down to her knees. The older man looked like an older, graying version of him. The two approached hem and when they were only a few inches away from Freya, she suddenly spun around and let out another excited squeal. "See, see, brother! Look at how much he's grown since last we saw him!!"

Isaak von Bielefeld nodded, and gave his sister a forced grin before raising his head to nod at Wolfram briefly before he and his father both gave their full attention to the king. The older man stepped forward. "Your majesty," he greeted, bowing just as deeply as his daughter had, "it is a joy to finally make your acquaintance. My name is Amalric von Bielefeld, head of the von Bielefeld family and ruler over the region of Bielefeld. This," he indicated to the other man, "is my son and successor, Isaak, and this is my daughter, Freya."

"We are all thrilled to meet you at last," Isaak said, his voice quiet as he took a step forward and also bowed to the king.

"Ahey, it's really nice to meet all of you!" Yuuri said cheerily, smiling at all three of them one-by-one. "It's great to finally meet more of Wolfram's family!"

"I suspect my nephew hasn't mentioned us to you before now, has he," Lord von Bielefeld said, casting a somewhat distressed look at Wolfram, who offered him an apologetic smile in return. "But no matter; what's in the past is in the past and it's time to move on. Now, we don't want to take up too much of your time, so," here he reached out and wrapped an arm around Freya and pulled her close, seemingly to prevent her from escaping and reattaching herself to Wolfram, "I shall take these two and leave you now, though no doubt we shall have time later to truly talk. We shall be staying in the castle for at least another week, if that's alright with you, your majesty."

Yuuri nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that's fine! Visit as long as you like!"

Lord von Bielefeld grinned, widely, and nodded his thanks. "That is most excellent, your majesty. We shall be seeing you later, then and you too, Wolfram," he said, smiling and nodding at his nephew, who returned the gesture. And with that, he turned and all but dragged a struggling Freya away from the two. Isaak took a moment to smile apologetically at Wolfram before hurrying after his father and sister. A silence settled between Yuuri and Wolfram as they watched the area where the others had disappeared in before finally Yuuri spoke up. "Your family seems nice, Wolf. How come you never mentioned them before?"

Wolfram tugged at the hem of his shirt, seemingly uncomfortable, before he replied. "I just never really thought about it, to be honest. I haven't really spoken to them since I was young, so I didn't feel the need to bring them up."

Yuuri nodded in understanding. "Well, I can't really blame you for that. If I didn't have contact with my family for that long, and carried on living, I'm sure they'd slip my mind too… that's horrible to say, isn't it? But it's true, I guess… I wouldn't really know, I always remember my family, but still, I get it. No worries, Wolf." He turned and grinned that goofy grin at Wolfram, and the blond returned it. He thought for a moment then opened his mouth to ask another question when suddenly everyone who was wandering around the ballroom moved to stand around the wall and the orchestra struck up a slow instrumental piece that was clearly intended to be romantic. Yuuri gulped. "It's time, isn't it?" He looked to Wolfram, who nodded.

"Come on, wimp."

"Don't call me that! Especially not now… kill my confidence…" Yuuri muttered as Wolfram took him by the wrist and pulled him out into the middle of the dance floor. Yuuri glanced around and sure enough, all eyes were on them. He caught sight of Gwendal, who looked somewhat irritated, and Cheri, who was ecstatic, and Günter, who was babbling incoherently, and lastly Conrad, who just gave them a reassuring grin. He also caught sight of Lady Flynn, and Lord von Wincott, and the von Bielefelds, all of whom were watching them with interest. Yuuri let out a breath of air and slowly the two positioned themselves.

And they began to waltz.

It was incredibly awkward; the two couldn't seem to get in sync with each other, Yuuri, trying to lead, far too timid, and Wolfram far too aggressive in his movements, and finding a balance was difficult. But they managed it and before long they were gliding with little trouble around the dance-floor, silent, both trying to put on the air that this was the most natural thing in the world and not a ridiculously awkward experience. Gradually, other dancers joined them on the floor until hardly anyone was left partner-less, but the two couldn't be bothered with them, so caught up in keeping up their brief façade as a happy couple.

After a stretch of silence, Wolfram spoke up, hesitantly. "So… does it feel any different?"

Yuuri blinked at the blond and furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Does what feel different?"

"Does it feel different now that you're 16?"

He thought on this before shaking his head. "Not really. To be honest I thought there'd be more to it than this. Günter and Conrad both said something about this age being officially an adult or a man or something here so I figured I'd have to do more or make more big decisions."

"Technically you're supposed to be Günter and Gwendal thought it best to delay it until next year. They… don't think you're quite ready yet, and I agree with them, Yuuri."

Another pause. "W-what?! Why don't they think I'm ready? I've gotten better at this job, haven't I?"

"You've gotten better at it, certainly, but there's still so much room to grow, Yuuri. I mean… the biggest problem, according to Günter, is partially because he wants to complete a certain portion of your lessons before you step up and take full responsibility. Also, we all agree that you need to become much more skilled at swordplay. It's not that we don't have faith in you, you just haven't reached your full potential yet and none of us really want to give an incapable king full control of our country."

Yuuri winced at Wolfram's words but let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, yeah… that's all true, I guess. I do slack off a lot more than I should… but still! I make an effort!"

Wolfram nodded. "You do, and we all appreciate that, but still, you're not ready. We do have faith that you'll be mostly ready in a year time if you buckle down and start actually _taking your lessons seriously_. You can't just keep running off and avoiding Günter just because he's overbearing and you find it boring. You need to understand the history if you want to have any hope for building a new future, Yuuri."

He knew there was no point arguing with Wolfram, he was completely right. But at the same time, it was so boring! There were much better ways he'd rather spend his time than hauled up in an office with Günter gushing away about some ancient king who slaughtered millions. He could play baseball with Conrad; play with Greta… a number of things. Still, there was no denying the truth in what Wolfram was saying. And if they didn't think Yuuri was ready yet to fully take control… than maybe it was time for Yuuri to, as Wolfram said, buckle down.

Yuuri opened his mouth to respond when the lights dimmed and there were gasps from the guests surrounding them and excited squeals. Wolfram and Yuuri froze. "What… no one mentioned anything about a show?" Yuuri said, excited, looking around for signs of maybe a magician appearing out of no where to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

He stopped when Wolfram clenched his arm. He turned to face the boy, confused, and his confusion doubled when he saw that Wolfram had broken out into a light sweat and his eyes were darting around the hall, alert. "This isn't a show, Yuuri," he hissed, one hand hover over the hilt of his sword. Yuuri blinked and quickly looked around a second time. He could see Conrad, and Gwendal, and anyone else who would know full well whatever was happening was _not _supposed to be happening, all making their way, slowly and calmly so as to not alarm the other guests, towards Yuuri and Wolfram.

Yuuri's fist clenched. "Wha-what is this, then, Wolfram?"

"I don't know. Just stay close to me."

The others had set themselves up so that it didn't appear to anyone as though they were guarding their king, but at the same time, they were capable of leaping to his rescue on a moments notice should any threat present itself. The other guests were still looking around, and some of them, the older, wiser ones, seemed to have picked up that whatever was going on was not part of the plan, and had begun to usher others, in a stealthy manner, towards the exits. "It's late, time for you to turn in." "You look drunk." "Care for a quick shag?" And other such excuses flittered to Yuuri's ears and he was thankful. There were so many people here, and they all had to be protected, but there was not telling what exactly was going on and to send the crowd into a panic now would not be a good course of action. Still, they couldn't all just stay there in harm's way, whatever the harm was.

"We need to get these people out of-"

Yuuri wasn't able to finish his sentence, for at that moment, there was a loud BANG from above his head and several people screamed; Wolfram grabbed his arm; Conrad was at his side taking hold of his other arm, sword drawn. The two brothers began to forcibly drag the king towards the nearest exit. They didn't get far before a second BANG, and suddenly Wolfram wasn't at Yuuri's side anymore, and he barely registered Conrad yelling his brother's name in surprise. The two stopped and turned, Conrad in front of Yuuri, sword brandished and Yuuri could see over the larger man's shoulder that most of the people were pressed against the wall, staring wide-eyed at the center of the room. Yuuri followed their gaze and his eyes widened as he looked, just in time to see a figure dressed in black from head to foot, with only their eyes visible. The person pulled a struggling Wolfram close, whispered a few words into the prince's ear, and then Wolfram's green eyes clouded over and he fell against the figure, seemingly unconscious. Yuuri let out a startled cry and moved to rush forward but Conrad held out his arm to block his path. Gwendal emerged from the crowd beside Conrad, and Yuuri could see Yozak out of the corner of his eye, circling around to guard Yuuri from behind. The others, such as Cheri and the von Bielefelds, were against the wall with the other guests, and Günter was nowhere to be found. Conrad took a cautious step forward, eyes intently on the figure holding his little brother, and spoke loudly. "Unhand him _now_."

It was unnerving to see the figure's eyes, the only part of the intruder that was moving, for they stood completely still, dark eyes sizing Conrad up, before falling on the King. Black eyes met black eyes and Yuuri felt a shiver go down his spin at their intensity. There was a tense stretch of time in which nobody moved and Conrad's single three word command hung in the air between them. Then, slowly, the person removed their hands from Wolfram and he dropped to the ground like a rag doll and lay at the person's feet, immobile. The dark eyes fell on Conrad once again, glinting, challenging the man to make a move to retrieve Wolfram, but Conrad did not move, as his duty was to protect his king. Yuuri did notice that he was clutching the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.

The moment it became apparent to the figure that Conrad and no one else were making a move towards where it stood with the prince, the person acted. Magic suddenly burst forth around the two, and frightened cries rang throughout the hall, and Yuuri jumped, startled. This magic was not like any he'd ever seen, dark tendrils flowing like winding snakes from the person and lashing out anything that was too close, pushing all the people even further back until some were fully pressed against the wall. One lunged for where Yuuri and his guardians stood and they fell back, quickly to avoid the strange magic, increasing the distance between them and where Wolfram lay. Yuuri called out Wolfram's name first, followed by Conrad, but the constantly moving magic kept them away. They watched, horrified, as the figure drew a knife and knelt down beside the prince and positioned it to drag slowly across the prince's throat. The blade touched flesh and Yuuri could see, even at a distance, that a scarce amount of blood was drawn. He cried out again and rushed forward, only to be caught by Gwendal, who pulled him back and Yuuri faintly noticed that the older man was shaking. Conrad tried to move forward but another of the dark tendrils of magic held him back once more.

Another loud BANG rang throughout the hall and the dark magic holding Conrad back suddenly vanished and he stumbled forward, surprised. He straightened and looked quickly towards Wolfram. The dark figure had been thrown back and some unseen force was holding them back, despite fierce struggling to return to the prince. The knife was lying next to Wolfram and despite a small cut on his throat that didn't seem to be badly bleeding, he was unharmed. Conrad immediately darted towards the restrained figure but before he could reach them, he could see, through the movements and creases of the cloth covering their mouth, that they were speaking quickly, and as Conrad raised his sword to point it at the enemy's neck, a fourth and final BANG was heard and the figure disappeared. All traces of their magic and presence were gone in an instant, as though they had never even been there at all. The only evidence that they had been and that the people gathered in the hall hadn't simply gone mad was still lying unconscious on the floor.

Conrad didn't miss a beat, turning on his heel and heading back to Wolfram, while Yuuri, Gwendal, and Yozak all rushed forward. Günter got to him first.

"Where the hell did you disappear to?!" Gwendal demanded as they reached Wolfram, who was already being examined by the lilac haired man.

Günter looked up at them as the arrived, and blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about? I was here the whole time!"

"Liar!" Gwendal growled out, taking a step toward him.

"Gwendal!" Conrad said, looking up at his older brother in desperation. "Now's not the time!" Gwendal nodded slowly, though he glared briefly at Günter, before kneeling down next to his youngest brother.

"Is he alright?!" Yuuri asked frantically, trying to see past the three older men surrounding his friend.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Yozak, who was gave him a smile. "He'll be fine, your majesty! Little Lord Brat is pretty tough despite appearances."

Yuuri gulped and nodded, somewhat reassured, but he was still anxious, and continuously wrung his hands. He looked up at the sound of a horrified cry and turned to see Lady Cheri forcing her way through the crowd that had gathered around them. "My Wolfy!" She knelt down with her elder two sons and placed a hand on Wolfram's forehead. "You'll be alright, momma's here…" she whispered, more to herself than anyone.

"Out of my way!" came a command from behind as Gisela shoved people aside to get to the small cluster in the middle. Günter had been using healing magic on the blond while Gwendal bandaged his neck using a ripped cloth from his shirt, but the moment his daughter made her way to them, he stood and stepped aside, and she quickly got to work.

"Alright, everyone will be escorted now to a safe location!" Günter called to the surrounding crowd and he looked to Yozak and nodded. "Sir Gurrier will lead you all, I implore you to please follow his instructions and you will not be harmed! Go!"

Yozak waved his arm and signaled for everyone to follow him, and he headed for the exit. The various nobles and aristocrats glanced first at each other, then Günter, then at Yozak, and slowly they all began to file out. Some were crying, others just looked shaken, and a select few seemed unfazed. Yuuri saw the von Bielefelds as they made their way out. Lord von Bielefeld was gently rubbing both of his children's backs in a soothing manner while Freya silently cried on her brother's shoulder. Isaak simply looked ashen. The three cast a glance at Wolfram before they left, none of them seeming to want to get in the way. Stoffel came over briefly to comfort Cheri before he and Raven were both ushered out as well. Soon it was just Cheri and her boys, Günter and his daughter, Yuuri, and a dead silence that Yuuri swore he would drown in.

After the silence became unbearable Yuuri finally spoke up, in a quiet, timid voice. "Wh-who was that?"

No one answered.

"Who attacked Wolfram?"

"We don't know, your majesty. The assassin could have been sent from any number of countries."

"But why? Why attack Wolfram, why not me?!"

Günter sighed and rubbed his temple. He looked older and wearier in that moment than Yuuri had ever seen him before, and it unnerved him to see the normally chipper Günter so somber. "It's too early to tell, you're majesty. But my guess would be, if it's not something personal against Lord von Bielefeld, than chances are… whoever it was who sent the assassin wants to eliminate those around you."

Yuuri blinked, confused. "What? Eliminate those around me? Why?"

"Word of your kindness and your refusal to allow war has spread far, your majesty, and while many see this as an opportunity for peace, there are those that look at this as an opportunity to gain power. They see it as a sign that either the king is weak or the military is weak, or possibly both."

Yuuri still wasn't following. "But if these people want power… why go after Wolfram? Why not go for the king?"

"Because a weak king is not a threat, and can even be used as an advantage."

"Unless," Conrad spoke up, eyes widening as it occurred to him what Günter was getting to. "Unless the people supporting him and assisting him are powerful and intelligent. Then the king is a problem. Take out those holding him up, and he falls down and is left defenseless, and by extension, vulnerable."

Yuuri frowned. "And… since Wolfram is my fiancé… he's the closest to me and so the biggest threat?"

"That's correct, your majesty," Günter confirmed, casting a worried glance down at his daughter working to make sure Wolfram was alright. He hadn't budged since falling unconscious and was showing no signs of waking up.

"Well then I'll break the engagement! If it's putting Wolfram's life in danger then what's the point of keep up with this farce anyway! I don't want them to hurt Wolfram," Yuuri said, looking frantically between all those gathered. "Even Wolfram can't argue with that!"

"I'm afraid that could make matters worse, your majesty," Günter said with a sigh. "If it became public knowledge that after an attempt on Wolfram's life, you broke the engagement, it would no doubt reach the ears of the one who ordered him dead to begin with. They would possibly assume that you have done so out of concern for Wolfram's life, and take that as not only another sign of weakness from you, but from Wolfram as well, and become bolder in their aggressions."

"So what am I supposed to do about this?!" Yuuri asked, taking a step forward, his expression clearly displaying his desperation. "Someone's out for Wolfram's life, and possibly all of your's as well! And… and I can't do anything to help? To stop it?"

"Unfortunately, Yuuri, no, there isn't much you can do," Conrad said, his gaze not leaving the figure of his little brother. "This sort of thing… was honestly to be expected. It's not at all uncommon for their too be assassinations of nobles and loved ones of the King or Queen, and almost expected that at some point their will be at least one attempt on the life of their spouse. Wolfram's life was put into danger from the moment you two became engaged."

Yuuri stared at Conrad as though he'd grown a second head. "What?! Why did no one say anything, not once?!"

"It's something that is known by all but uttered by none," said Gwendal, from his position crouching next to his mother. "No matter whom you were engaged to or ultimately married, their life would be put into danger and they'd know it."

"That's… that can't be," Yuuri muttered, his gaze on Wolfram's pale face. "There has to be something I can do…"

Günter, Conrad, and Gwendal all exchanged looks but remained silent. The only sound was Cheri's soft spoken words to her son.

They stayed there in silence until Gisela deemed Wolfram well enough to be moved and he was prompted taken to the infirmary. Yozak tracked them down there and informed them that several of the nobles in attendance had already left to return home, and they few remaining had been assigned rooms and were all settled in. He also reported that scouts had been sent out and the premises searched for any trace of the assassin or any other clues as to who was behind the attack and had found nothing.

And in the early hours of the morning they were visited by Murata Ken.

"I had planned," he said, glancing at everyone gathered in the room and the figure lying immobile on the bed, "to come a bit late to the party, but just as I was leaving, Ulrike sensed a strange, powerful magic being used inside the castle."

"Inside the castle?" Gwendal asked, eyes narrowing at the Great Sage. "Nothing was sensed from outside? From the borders?"

"Not at all, Ulrike is certain she sensed the magic used inside the castle in the same location a grand total of six times. The interesting thing about it, though, is that the fifth time the magic was used, it was slightly different. Similar, no doubt the same type of magic, but different."

"The fifth time? What happened the fifth time?" Yuuri asked, looking to Conrad.

Conrad thought for a moment before reciting. "The first time was when the lights dimmed, and the second time was the false explosion from above. The third time was when they grabbed Wolfram. The fourth time, the dark magic barriers. And fifth… was when they were pulled away from Wolfram."

"A counteract," Gwendal muttered, more wrinkles appearing on his brow. "Was it preformed by someone else?"

"Most likely," said Günter, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What else could it have been? Unless it was plotted to fail, which doesn't seem likely."

"But you say Ulrike even thought it was strange," Conrad asked, looking back to Murata.

The sage nodded. "She said she could feel its power, and it was powerful, unlike anything she had ever felt before, but she couldn't say exactly what it was."

That didn't sit well with anyone, and it was obvious the moment Murata finished speaking that everyone had tensed and was just a bit more paranoid than they had been before. They all looked at each other, trying to discern what the other was thinking but getting nothing and sinking deeper into their own speculations.

After a few minutes, Murata announced that he was going to go to the library to do some research and Günter offered to join him. Gwendal, Conrad, and Yozak all excused themselves to check and double check the parameter. Before they left, Gwendal took one last look at Wolfram and Conrad placed his hand over Wolfram's and gave it a small squeeze before the two brothers and the spy departed. Cheri was the last to go, saying it had been a long night and she needed some sleep but that she would return in a few hours. Gisela was down the hall, ready to come if called. That left Yuuri alone in the room with an unconscious Wolfram and his own thoughts. And his mind was whirring, with ideas popping into his head and quickly falling apart but he was determined. There had to be some way he could protect Wolfram. There had to be. He was the king. The king they thought was weak but he'd prove to them all he wasn't weak. He'd save Wolfram. Somehow, he had to save Wolfram.

* * *

Wolfram woke around midday the day after the attack. Yuuri had been asleep in a chair next to him and had been rudely awoken by the sound of Wolfram trying to get up from the bed and promptly falling to the ground. He's scrambled to his feet and helped the prince up and was met with grumbling and frustration. Wolfram apparently remembered full well what had happened to him and was intent on 'track the bitch down and slice them up good.' When questioned about it later, he couldn't recall how he'd gotten from Yuuri's side to the center of the ballroom, just that there had been a flash and he was suddenly in a different location. The person who had been holding him had been relatively strong, physically. To everyone's surprise, and it irritated Wolfram to no end, was the fact that Wolfram couldn't remember the person speaking. He had looked into their eyes, which he described as being darker than Yuuri's and that darkness seemed to drown him and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the infirmary. And besides the small cut on his neck, Wolfram was otherwise alright.

So their best lead had fallen through.

"But uh!" said Yuuri, looking around with a wide grin to everyone who had once again gathered in the room once news had spread of Wolfram's awakening. The von Bielefelds had joined them as well. Lord von Bielefeld stood with Cheri, Stoffel, and Raven, while Isaak and Freya were with Conrad and Gwendal at Wolfram's bedside. Günter stood with Gisela and Greta (who had spent the night with the maids and had been left completely unawares of what was happening until that morning.) Murata stood besides Yuuri on the other side of Wolfram's bed. And lastly was Wolfram himself, sitting up with his arms crossed and looking thoroughly annoyed. All of them looked up and over at their king in curiosity.

Yuuri clapped his hands together in excitement and grinned widely. "I've been thinking-"

"You're thinking? Wow, I'm impressed already, wimp!"

"-and I think I've got an idea on how to protect Wolfram," Yuuri said, twitching at Wolfram's words but choosing to not retaliate just this once. "Looking back on the assassination attempt, I noticed… everyone came flocking to me. Everyone protected me. I'm the king, so I guess it's be expected, to place my safety above everyone else's as much as I dislike that… and that's the way it always is! Everyone always is protecting me and worrying about me and because of that everyone else, especially Wolfram, is left vulnerable to attack! So I've decided to assign Wolfram a personal guard."

Silence. And then…

"WHAT?!" Wolfram attempted to rise but was held down by Gwendal, but that didn't stop him from raising his voice. "What do you think I am, a child? Incapable of protecting myself?!"

"Apparently not or you wouldn't be in this situation!"

Wolfram glared and Yuuri was sure he'd shrivel up and burn under the prince's fierceness. "I do not need caretakers! I can defend myself perfectly fine! I don't want a troop of soldiers following me around when I can handle it just fine on my own!"

"What about just one guard, then? A bodyguard."

"No!"

"But Wolfram," Yuuri said, moving forward and taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. "Please just listen to me! I know you don't like this idea and want to prove yourself, but when everyone's rushing around to protect me, you are left completely on your own to not only defend yourself, but you also protect me. And… under any other circumstances I wouldn't suggest this, but these people who are after you will probably try again and they have magic that Ulrike doesn't even recognize! And it's powerful, and they took you down with just a few _words_! I know you're strong, I believe in you, but it would make me feel so much better if there was even just one person who'd place you above even me. Someone who'd protect you."

Wolfram clenched the white sheets tightly but remained quiet, biting his lip. The king and prince stared each other down, both daring the other to give in. Finally, Wolfram muttered, not breaking his eye contact with Yuuri, "And who, exactly, were you thinking of being my bodyguard? My knight? If I agree, of course."

Now it was Yuuri's turn to bit his lip. "I do have someone in mind," he said, slowly.

"Out with it, who?"

"Conrad."

There was dead silence that seemed to stretch an eternity before being broken.

"But I thought Cousin Wolf hates Conrad!" said Freya von Bielefeld, her brow furrowing in confusion. Isaak clamped his hand over her mouth, quickly, and sighed.

"Ignore her, she's an idiot," he said in a quiet voice, not daring to look in Conrad's direction.

Yuuri, on the other hand, did.

Conrad was staring, intently, at Wolfram, who was looking at his own hands and not responding, and he running his thumb over the hilt of his sword absent-mindedly. "Are you sure about this, your majesty?" he asked, tentatively.

Yuuri nodded, determined. "Absolutely. You've protected me since I got here and been my guardian in so many ways, but the truth is, everyone here protects me, and no one protects Wolfram, and if there was one person I'd trust with the task of doing so, it'd be you, Conrad."

Conrad remained quiet for a moment as he took this information in. "I… have no choice but to do as you wish, your majesty, and if you wish for me to be Wolfram's personal bodyguard then I shall do so, but…" His gaze was still on Wolfram, who had yet to even move.

Wolfram finally lifted his head and looked first at Conrad then to Yuuri. "I'm going to hate myself for this later, and hate you a little bit already for doing this, but it seems I have no choice but… to accept this." He shot a glare at Conrad here while Yuuri broke into a thrilled grin and everyone else in the room look startled. "But if he gets in the way of my normal routine and activities then I call the right to abolish this agreement!"

Yuuri nodded, slowly. "If I think you're right, then yes," he said, standing. Murata looked amused. "Alright then," Yuuri continued, looking around happily at all the shocked people. "Conrad will be Wolfram's personal knight from now on. The safety of the third prince will now be top priority, above even the safety of the Maou."

Conrad nodded, slowly, his mind seemingly still racing to catch up with this unexpected turn of events. Wolfram just glowered, not looking at anyone directly. "Come on, Greta," Yuuri called and his daughter, who at Günter's request had remained quiet while the 'adults' spoke, let out an excited squeal and rushed forward to take his hand. "Let's go to the kitchens and get some food to share with Wolfram, 'kay?"

"Yay!" Greta said, delight written all over her young face. Yuuri shot one last smile at the sulking Wolfram and the baffled Conrad before he and his daughter made their way out of the room. Yuuri couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day.

**End chapter one

* * *

**DONE. FINALLY. YES. I'M THRILLED. Normally it only takes me a few hours to get fics done but this bitch took me like a week. D8 Hopefully it was well worth it? Anyway, this is the first chapter of what is planned to be a pretty good length fic… I couldn't give you an estimate of just how long because I fail at math and these things change so often that there's no way to be sure this early on. However, given my track record with fic in the past… one can only hope Alice will get this one done. D I have a lot of ideas of where I want to go with this so wish me luck?

Anyway  
**Chapter two: whispers and warnings **

As far as criticism goes, I'm looking mainly at characterization here. How did I do on keeping them in-character? That, to me, is my biggest concern and any help and hints would be greatly appreciated. 

Comments are loved, constructive criticism appreciated, and flames will be laughed at. If you must flame me, at least put some effort into it. I need a good laugh. 8D


	2. whispers and warning signs

**Title:** What a Wonderful World  
**Author:** Alice  
**Fandom(s):** Kyou Kara Maou!  
**Spoilers:** Spoilers through to the end of the second season; some hints at the events from the OVAs but not in great detail.  
**Pairings/Characters: **Yuuri/Wolfram, Conrad&Wolfram  
**Summary:** After an assassination attempt on Wolfram leaves the denizens of Blood Pledge Castle in shock, Yuuri takes it upon himself to assign Wolfram a lone personal knight who'll place Wolfram's wellbeing above even the king's safety.  
**Part:** 2/(?)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** Violence and gay; the best combination in the world. 8')  
**Disclaimer:** Alice does not own Kyou Kara Maou. And you all should be very, very thankful for that.  
**Author's Notes: **Wow, very positive response to the first chapter. A Thank you all so much for your reviews ♥  
The one thing I found odd, though, was how many people asked me whether it was going to be Yuuram or ConWolf because apparently I was unclear on that? It's Yuuram, you guys, but the reason I have Conrad Wolfram under pairings/characters is because, while they will not be romantically involved, their relationship is incredibly significant, enough to warrant their own label. But no, it won't be ConWolf. Not that I have anything against ConWolf, quite the contrary, I like the pairing very much. It's simply not what I had intended for this particular story. Sorry! So, for now, enjoy  
**Chapter Two: Whispers and Warning Signs

* * *

**Wolfram was kept in the infirmary for two weeks. He tried, many times, to leave before that – in fact, two days after the attack, Yuuri entered his room to find him attempting to leave- but the after-effects of the magic used on him seemed to make him dizzy the moment he stood up and he always stumbled around and would generally fall to the floor. This wasn't really a good thing. So he was kept in bed, gradually being allowed to get up more and more until he could stay on his feet for long periods of time without fainting.

Understandably, when he finally was able to leave, the last thing Wolfram wanted to do was sit down or rest. He quickly got back into his normal routines, training his troops, following Yuuri around, etc. And soon things were more or less back to normal. It was as though nothing had happened.

Except for the fact that Yuuri was quite sure that whatever advancements had been made in Conrad and Wolfram's relationship since his arrival in Shin Makoku had now taken a step back. Not that it had moved forward leaps and bounds but certainly it was better than when Yuuri first arrived. Wolfram had moved past referring to Conrad as Lord Weller, though he hadn't reached the point where he fully acknowledged Conrad as his brother. He was more comfortable showing him respect, and wouldn't swat his hands away when he tried to touch him, just flinch. Now, though, Wolfram could hardly stand to look at Conrad. Whenever they would pass each other, Conrad would greet Wolfram with a smile and Wolfram would respond with a cold, "Lord Weller." If Conrad dared to try and touch Wolfram, he'd wrench himself away and yell at him to back off. He hated it when Conrad so much as looked at him. It was somewhat understandable; in fact, Yuuri would have been shocked if he hadn't gotten this sort of reaction for Wolfram. The prince was less than thrilled about the idea of having a bodyguard, and having that bodyguard be the man who he had rejected his whole life? Who he had always seen as inferior to himself? The man who was considered to be Wolfram's biggest opponent in the more or less nonexistent battle for Yuuri's affections? This naturally did not sit well with Wolfram. Still, Yuuri had hoped Wolfram would at least act somewhat civil about the situation but apparently not. There was still plenty of time to change that, of course! Yuuri was optimistic.

"Yuuri," Wolfram said, suddenly, snapping Yuuri out of his thoughts. He glanced up from his position, sitting on the edge of the bed putting his shoes, to look at the prince, still in his nightgown and staring intently out the window.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Come look at this."

Yuuri stood up and brushed nonexistent dust off his clothes before moving to join Wolfram at the window. He follow Wolfram's gaze out and up onto the roof of one of the opposite towers. His eyes widened and he took a step back in shock. "W-Wolfram! What is that?!"

"I think," Wolfram said, leaning against the window, staring at the creature in wonder. "I think it's a harpy!"

Yuuri blinked. "A harpy?" He questioned, looking back at the creature. Yuuri wasn't one to be well-read up on mythology, but he was quite sure that creature was not what a harpy was supposed to be. Harpies, from what Yuuri could tell, were women with great wings and talons. There was more too it than that, Yuuri was sure, but off the top of his head that was all he could really remember, and that was more definitely not what was before him now. The creature did not appear to be a woman, but instead looked more like a giant vulture, with large breasts that clearly proved that it was not a vulture. It looked old, and there were bald spots over its body where brown fur was supposed to be, and the tips of its feathers were turning gray and its flesh was sagging. Despite this, Yuuri could see its sharp talons and its large beak was one that he estimated could easily devour something Greta's size. And its dark eyes were alert, and intense, and were focused on Yuuri.

He shuddered. "What… what is that thing doing here?"

Wolfram didn't respond at first, not taking his eyes off the beast, clearly awed. "I have no idea," he admitted. "There haven't been any harpies in Shin Makoku for generations. Especially not this kind. Up until a few years ago, there were still some small covens of pure harpies but they're all gone now. I know that they still live in other countries, though, but this is my first time seeing a real one."

"They're extinct in this country? So what's one doing here?" Yuuri asked, frowning out the window at the beast. He was sure he could see the harpy's dark eyes still on him and it left him feeling uncomfortable. It was though it knew full well that they were talking about it and it was sizing them up.

"I have no idea!" Wolfram repeated. After a moment he turned away from the window. "Come on, get dressed!"

"What, why?" Yuuri watched as Wolfram hurriedly moved to gather up some clothes and moved into the small closet area to change. "Wolfram, you don't want to go out there near that thing, do you? It looks dangerous!"

"It is dangerous, Yuuri. That's why we need to figure out what it's doing here."

"But… but," Yuuri stuttered, looking between the closet and the window, flinching as the harpy shifted on the roof but made no move to fly away. "Wh-what if it attacks us or something?! Look at those talons!"

"That's what I'm here for, Yuuri," Wolfram pointed out, stepping out of the closet fully clothed in his normal uniform. "Do you not trust me to protect you?"

"I do, it's just…" Yuuri was quickly running out of alternatives and he knew it, but still, the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was walk right into harm's way. He glanced down at the courtyard that the harpy was looming over and was relieved to see that hardly anyone was out there, only a few soldiers and guards, all of whom glanced up nervously at the creature as they passed, hands on sword hilts in case it made a threatening move.

"Hurry up, then!" Wolfram snapped, placing his hands on his hips and glaring at Yuuri, daring him to object.

Yuuri sighed, defeated, and a few minutes later he was being dragged down the hallway by Wolfram as they made their way to the courtyard. Maids that they passed along the way seemed less chipper and talkative than normal and it was clear that, while the harpy didn't seem to have done anything at the moment, its presence was unnerving to everyone who saw it.

The king gulped as they entered the courtyard, slowly, both keeping their gazes on the creature for any sudden movements. "What are we supposed to do, Wolfram? Do these things talk or anything like that?"

"Pure harpies can, but not half-breeds like this one," Wolfram explained.

"I see you two have seen our new guest," came a voice from behind them and Yuuri whirled around.

"Conrad!"

Conrad nodded, stepping up to stand beside the two younger boys and glanced up at the harpy. He didn't seem nearly as tense as everyone else who they had seen so far but it was obvious he too was off-put by the creature's presence. "It showed up in the middle of the night," he said. "It landed on the windowsill of your office, your majesty. Günter was finishing up some paperwork in there at the time and was quite alarmed by its arrival… luckily, though, it doesn't appear to be here to cause any harm. Rather, it's acting more as a messenger bird."

Yuuri blinked. "A… messenger bird? What happened to using pigeons?!"

Conrad chuckled. "Some countries use pigeons, true, but there are a wide variety of animals and birds that various countries use as messengers. In this case, a harpy was most suitable for the journey."

"Where did it come from, Weller?" Wolfram demanded, crossing his arms and not looking in Conrad's direction.

There was a pause as Conrad cast another weary glance at the harpy. "It came from the country of Bordelais," he said. "It brought a message for his majesty from their king. An invitation to travel to their country and negotiate a possible alliance."

Yuuri's expression brightened considerably at this. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Wolfram.

"Bordelais? _They _contacted us?" said the prince, disbelief evident on his face. "They've ignored us for centuries, why would they express an interest in us now?"

"Wait, where's Bordelais?" Yuuri asked, glancing between the two brothers. "I've never even heard the name! Are they a big country?"

"Decent sized," Conrad replied. "It's a country beyond human territory and as such they have very little contact with us. Big Shimeron is directly in the way of traveling their by land, and to get there by sea could take a month or more."

"Are they a human country?" Yuuri asked, frowning a bit.

"Not necessarily," Conrad said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "They're much closer to half-breeds than Mazoku or human. The people there have lives far longer than that of a human, but they do not possess any magic."

"So I'm guessing Big Shimeron doesn't like them very much…" Yuuri said, less of a question and more of a statement.

"Well, Big Shimeron's dislike of them stems less from the fact that they are very similar to half –breeds but more to do with the fact that during the war, Big Shimeron tried to convince Bordelais to join into an alliance with them, and the king of Bordelais felt the conflict had nothing to do with them so they refused. Actually, the two used to trade quite a bit because of their close proximity to each other but during the war, Bordelais placed an embargo on Big Shimeron and as far as I can tell, they've yet to lift it."

"That didn't go over very well with Big Shimeron," Wolfram continued, tapping his foot against the ground. "Bordelais isn't nearly as large as Big Shimeron but they are a very wealthy country and have a large amount of natural resources that are becoming scarce in the rest of the world. However," here he broke into a large smirk, "they are most known for their silk, and of course, their wine. The finest wines in all the world is said to be produced there."

"And because of the embargo, Big Shimeron was cut off from all they had to offer," Yuuri said, mentally taking notes on what the two were telling him. "Gotcha. So wait," he turned back to Conrad, grinning widely. "They want to join into an alliance with us?"

"They're willing to at least start talking about negotiations, if nothing else," Conrad said, taking another look up at the harpy, which had started to nip at its feathers, seemingly quite irritated.

"That's wonderful," Yuuri exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He looked from Conrad to Wolfram, radiating joy, but that quickly sank when he saw their blank expressions. "What? What's wrong?"

Neither of the two seemed eager to explain to Yuuri, but after a moment Conrad spoke. "The people of Bordelais may not possess magic but they have a very powerful army. They are rarely involved in war mainly because few countries want to have them as an enemy. Geographically speaking, they are somewhat difficult to access as well. They are not… aggressive towards other countries, per se, but we need to be very careful in our dealings with them. They could potentially make a very powerful ally…"

"Or a very powerful enemy," Yuuri finished, frowning. "I get it. So what do we do?"

"The best thing we can do," Wolfram said with a sigh, "is to go ahead and go. It would be better to at least talk to their king and try and stay in their good graces. It would be highly insulting if we were to flat out refuse."

"That's true," said Conrad. "Our countries have not been in contact for years and to refuse their first offer of friendship and support would not go over well."

"So we go, then," Yuuri said. "Have you spoken to Gwendal and Günter about this?"

Conrad nodded. "Yes… both of them are in agreement that it would be in our best interest to respond quickly and inform the king of Bordelais that we will be accepting his invitation. As I said, the fastest route to Bordelais is by sea and will take… about a month and a half."

"A month and a half?!" Yuuri asked, eyes widening, dumbfounded. "Why so long?"

"We need to circle the human territory by sea, as I said, which will take a month at the best of times. And unfortunately, when we arrive in Bordelais, we will be at a sea port that's more or less on the opposite side of the country from the capital, so we shall have to continue on horseback."

"They will be sending a guide of some sort, correct?" Wolfram questioned.

"Yes, they did mention in their letter that we will be escorted from the port to the capital, should we choose to accept. Günter has the letter at the moment, he will show it to you when we head up for breakfast."

Yuuri nodded, slowly. "Alright… let's go!" And before the other two could raise any sort of objection, Yuuri was on his way back into the castle and towards the dining hall. He entered a few minutes later to find Gwendal, Lady Cheri, the von Bielefelds, and a very fidgety Günter already present and seemingly waiting for their arrival.

Günter leapt to his feet the moment Yuuri entered and let out a dramatic gasp. "Your majesty! You will not believe the horror that your loyal servant Günter suffered this morning! I-"

He stopped when Yuuri raised his hands in a sheepish manner to silence him. "Conrad already told me, Günter. The harpy, right?"

Günter shuddered and let out a small wail. "I was just sitting there doing paperwork, completely minding my own business, and that creature thought it would be a fun idea to sneak up on me! Oh, it will haunt my dreams for weeks now, no doubt…."

"Conrad said it brought a letter for me?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! Here it is," Günter said as he reached into the folds of his magnificent white robe and rummaged around for a moment before producing a rolled up piece of parchment. He moved forward and handed it to Yuuri, who unrolled it and began to read.

_To his majesty King Yuuri Shibuya, the 27__th__ Maou of Shin Makoku, _

We, the people of Bordelais, would like to extend an invitation to the His Majesty to travel to our country for talks of entering into the Great Demon Alliance. All arrangements for your travels will be personally handled by the king, including paying for any supplies, horses, ships, and providing an escort to accompany his majesty from the port city Gustavia to the capital Villandraut.

We are most eager to hear a reply from his majesty. Please send your answer with Anne.

Sincerely,  
Azrael III, King of Bordelais

Short and to the point. Yuuri nodded, slowly, before raising his eyes to look at the people gathered in the room, all of whom were looking at him inquisitively. "Who's Anne?" Yuuri asked, confused. 

"I believe that is the name of the harpy," said Günter, glancing towards the window, uneasily. "After reading over the letter, I called it by that name and it responded."

"So they want us to write a letter and send it back with the harpy. Alright, that's easy enough."

"So you are planning to go, then, your majesty?" asked Cheri, crossing her legs and raising an eyebrow at the king, curiously.

"Ah, yeah. Conrad and Wolfram both seem to think it's a good idea, so…" Yuuri looked around him and when he was unable to locate what he needed, he turned back to the others and offered them a sheepish smile. "Uh, anyone got paper and a quill? I don't know about you but I want that harpy gone…"

"I've got some!" said Freya, leaping up from her seat excitedly and Yuuri noticed for the first time that they were even there. She looked as though she had been fighting with herself not to speak for several minutes, and Yuuri was sure that must have been very difficult for her. If he'd learned anything in the past couple of weeks that the von Bielefelds had resided at the castle with him it was that Freya von Bielefeld, while her heart was in the right place, did not shut up.

He also was sure that she'd been born in the wrong time, or at least the wrong dimension, as she seemed like she much more belonged on Earth rather than Shin Makoku. She even carried around a large pouch that reminded Yuuri of a woman's purse from back home. She was rummaging through it now and pulled out a piece of blank parchment and a quill. She hurried around the table to hand it to him and Yuuri quickly wrote up a response, imitating the format of the letter that had been sent to him. "Um, should I mention in the letter who all is coming with me?" he asked, glancing around.

"I don't see why, it's not like they expect you to be traveling alone," said Wolfram from behind Yuuri. He hadn't even noticed he had come in with Conrad just a few steps behind. "Just say 'we' are taking up your invitation and that we'll be heading out in two weeks time."

"Two weeks?"

"It will take awhile to prepare," said Gwendal, speaking for the first time and not looking at Yuuri. "They'll understand. This isn't magic, traveling such a distant takes time."

Yuuri nodded and jotted all of this down. "Uh, two weeks from when the letter arrives or two weeks from the day the letter was written?"

"It honestly doesn't make that much of a difference, your majesty. Harpies are fast creatures, chances are, if we send her off within the hour, she'll have made it back to Bordelais by nightfall," said Günter, taking the opportunity to move to stand next to Yuuri and pointed at the letter from Bordelais. "Look at the date signed here. It was sent last night and arrived this morning."

"Oh, that's great! It takes the old, decaying bird a few hours to travel back and forth and it'll take us over a month," Yuuri complained, rubbing his temple in annoyance. He read over his letter a few more times before nodding, satisfied, and quickly rolled it up and headed over to the window. He opened it and leaned out, a bit unsure what to do, before he called out the harpy's name. A moment later he let out an alarmed cry and stepped back hurriedly as the beast landed on the windowsill in front of him. "Ni-nice birdie," Yuuri said, his voice a few octaves higher than normal, holding his hands up in defense. Conrad and Wolfram were at his side in an instance, but Yuuri noticed that neither of them were reaching for their weapons.

"Don't make any sudden movements, Yuuri," Wolfram instructed, keeping his green eyes on Anne. "It won't… harm you unless it feels threatened, so just try and remain calm. Look, there's a carrier-case attached to its leg. Put the letter inside it."

Yuuri nodded and gulped, moving forward very, very slowly. The silence that descended upon the room was thick enough that Yuuri felt he was drowning in it. Stifling, making him more uncomfortable, but no one seemed eager to speak while the creature was so near. Yuuri tentatively reached for the carrier-case and opened it, keeping his eyes on it, not daring to look up into the harpy's face. He could feel it's breath on the back of his neck and it frightened him, and he could feel his body trembling. Still, he was determined to accomplish the task at hand, and he gently slid the rolled up letter into the case, closed it, and stepped back. Only when he was safely back beside Wolfram and Conrad, with Günter and Gwendal behind him, did he dare look into the harpy's eyes. She was looking at him once again; head cocked to the side, intense, and Yuuri felt a shiver throughout his body. Their eyes remained locked for a moment before she took off suddenly, wings spread wide and soared out over the courtyard and up over the towers and in moments she was gone.

The silence stretched a little longer.

The door burst open and everyone in the room whirled around, alarmed, only to find Murata standing in the doorway, looking around. "I heard there is a harpy here," he said, explaining his sudden presence.

"You just missed it," said Freya, clutching onto her brother's arm. "It was right there! There on the windowsill! It was HUGE! And his majesty - his majesty was so brave – he valiantly went forward and attached a letter to its leg, not even frightened by the thing's giant, sharp beak just inches away from his throat. And then it flew away! So, so brave."

Her description of the events made Yuuri shudder once more. Its beak had been that close to his throat? Oh, no, that was certainly not a comforting thought. Not at all.

"Oh, I missed it, then?" Murata said, pouting in disappointment. "That's a shame; I would have liked to have seen one. It's been quite some time since I've laid eyes on a harpy."

"I believe you will have the opportunity to see them quite soon, great sage," said Conrad. "We will be going to Bordelais in two weeks time."

"Will we?" Murata's eyebrows rose, curiously. "When was this decided?"

"A few minutes ago."

"I see." The sage's expression was hard to read, neither joy nor anger nor any decipherable emotion detectible. Mysterious as always, he turned away. "I will be joining you, of course. Two weeks, you say? Hm, best to start making preparations now, eh?"

And with that he disappeared just as quickly as he had come. And once again an awkward silence descended upon the room.

"We're going too, right?" Freya asked, breaking the quiet and looking from her brother to her father. Lord von Bielefeld shook his head.

"I'm afraid there is business to attend to back home. We cannot accompany them on this journey. Perhaps some other time, though."

Freya pouted and Isaak rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance.

"You'll at least stay until their departure," Cheri prompted, giving her former brother-in-law an encouraging smile.

Lord von Bielefeld nodded. "Naturally. We can at least see them off."

"Splendid!" Cheri moved forward and placed a hand on Yuuri's shoulder and the other on Wolfram's. "It'll be most lonely here with you all gone for such a long period of time, so I shall have to continue on my quest for free love immediately upon your departure! But I will remain here until then."

"Fantastic," Wolfram said, seemingly unable to decide whether he approved of this or not. Yuuri laughed, nervously, staring out the window where the harpy had departed from.

Anne was long gone now, but he swore he could still feel her cold eyes watching him.

* * *

The last thing he could remember clearly was being knocked almost completely off the bed by a restless Wolfram. How he had gotten here, or even where here was, was completely lost to him. Still, Yuuri was quite sure he was inside a church. His family wasn't particularly religious, let alone Christian, but he knew enough about it to be able to say with absolute confidence that, yes, he was in a church. Alright, one problem solved. Now there was the matter as to why he was in a church, where this church was, and how he'd gotten here.

Yuuri glanced around him, wearily. It was dark inside the church, the only source of light being two rows of candles set up along the aisle. Yuuri followed the line of candles and could see, at the far end where he believed was typically where the pastor or priest or whatever it was got up to speak to the congregation, and there he saw what appeared to be a bed. No, not a bed… it looked more like an open coffin.

His entire body was suddenly swept with an icy cold dread as he realized that he was right; it was an open coffin. And in it was a body. He was too far away and couldn't make out who was lying there, but there was definitely a body there dressed in white, with white roses and lilies decorating their deathbed and surrounded by more burning candles and incense.

Slowly, Yuuri took a step forward down the aisle leading to the coffin, his breath caught in his throat and his heart beating loudly in his ears. Did he really want to see who it was? Did he really want to see the cold, pale face devoid of all life? No, he didn't, but at the same time, there was a part of him that demanded to know. That needed to know.

But with each step Yuuri took towards the coffin, the further away it seemed to be.

A few minutes passed and Yuuri was sure that he should have long reached the end of the aisle and yet he appeared to have not gotten any closer to it at all.

"You can't see it yet," came a soft voice from behind him and Yuuri halted in his procession.

"Why?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Because it's still too far away," came the response and Yuuri shook his head, confused. "It's too far away."

"I can see that. It keeps moving further down!"

"No," the voice responded, a sadness lingering in their voice. "I mean in time… this is too far away for you to see it clearly."

"So… wait, this is the future?!"

"In a way, yes… not this, specifically… it's more like a metaphor but somewhere along the line, the future you see here will be recognized. You cannot see it now, though."

"So someone I know will die, is that it?" Yuuri could hear the desperation in his own voice, his eyes fixed on the open coffin that was quite literally close, but still so far away.

"I'm sorry," the voice replied, before letting out a sigh. "There isn't much you can do to prevent the death… if anything. However… there are still ways you can save them." There was a pause. "They aren't dead yet."

"What do you mean?" Yuuri asked, a spark of hope igniting within him.

"Death isn't always the end."

"What does that mean?" Yuuri asked, whirling around. His eyes widened at what he saw.

There wasn't a solid figure standing before him. The person there seemed to not even really be there at all, her figure wispy, transparent, like colored smoke shifting in and out of focus. He could make out blonde hair, and could tell that she seemed to be roughly around Cheri's age (though if she was a Mazoku that wasn't a good estimate, their aging system as confusing as it was.) He could tell, though, from what little he could see of her clothing that she was a noble woman.

"Death isn't always the end," she repeated, though Yuuri couldn't even see her lips moving. Her voice sounded distant, echoic, as though she was speaking to him through a pane of glass.

Yuuri stared at her, confused, waiting for her to continue speaking and when she didn't, he moved towards her instead. "Who are you?" he asked, quietly.

He couldn't tell if she was looking at him or not. It seemed as though he felt her gaze on him but he knew full well it could just be a trick of his mind. And she remained silent. "Please tell me," Yuuri prompted, taking another step towards her, weary, hoping not to make her depart or to startle himself out of the dream.

And then she moved and for a moment he saw her clearly, staring at him with soft lavender eyes filled with sorrow and in that instant he knew, in the back of his mind, who she was, but then she looked away again and the vision was blurred once more, and he couldn't recall no matter how he racked his brain for the answer. "Not now… not for years, just like what you see down this aisle… he'll need your help. I can't help him anymore, not the way I did once, and none of the others can… but you can. You are strong, and I do believe you have it in you to finally do what no one has been able to accomplish for centuries."

"Do what? Help who?" Yuuri asked, getting desperate now. Her vague words were doing nothing but confuse him and fill him with a dread. He needed answers. How could he help whoever it was she wanted him to help if she didn't give him more details? How could he save whoever it was lying dead on a bed of silk and lace if she didn't tell him who it was or how they were going to die? She was asking so much of him, and giving him so little to work with.

"Help him," she repeated. "Help him…"

"Help _who _do _what_?!" Yuuri was a patient person but this was pushing him to his limits.

"Help him bring us light again," she said, and Yuuri noticed for the first time, that she was beginning to fade. "I have to go now… I'll speak to you again, when it's closer to the time when the things I've spoken of will come to pass… maybe sooner. But please… promise me, you'll try. You'll bring us light." Yuuri wasn't the only one who was desperate now; he could hear it in her voice as she spoke her farewell.

"Hey, hold on, I-" Yuuri was cut off from his call by the walls closing in on him. His eyes widened and he barely had time to register just what was happening before he was standing alone in complete darkness, with no sign of a coffin, a candle, or a mysterious woman anywhere to be found. He blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden shift in his dream and looked around. Blackness on all sides that seemed to stretch on for eternity was all he could see. He let out a frustrated sigh. "But what do you want me to _do_?" He asked aloud, hoping that somehow the woman had heard him, before he felt a strange pull from behind and found himself a few minutes later blinking, sleepily, as he awoke from his dream.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Wolfram asked him, looking him over for any sign that he was unwell. "You look a bit pale."

Yuuri shook his head. "No, I'm fine, really! You asked me that before…"

"That's because you don't look well. You were really quiet during breakfast as well! Honestly, Yuuri, you act like it's wrong for me to be worried about my own fiancé!" Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Yuuri as though the king had done him some great injustice by not being ill.

Yuuri held back a sigh. "No, I appreciate that you're worried, but just don't pester me about it! I'm fine, I promise, I just need to get into better sleeping habits is all." He didn't mention the dream to Wolfram or the fact that part of his issues sleeping was entirely Wolfram's fault to begin with.

Wolfram rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Don't blame me when you end up making yourself sick."

The double-black had to bite back a laugh at the irony.

"Anyway, I'm taking your advice. I'm gonna try and buckle-down and get as much work done as I can… I've been paying attention to Günter's lessons… well, somewhat. But yeah! So, I'm going to get started on work early and maybe then I'll finish early and we can spend some time with Greta." Yuuri shot Wolfram a wide grin. "Pretty soon you won't be able to call me a wimp at all! Not that I'm one now," he added, quickly, "but soon you'll have no ammo to throw at me whatsoever!"

He received a smirk in return. "We'll see about that."

Their conversation trailed off as they approached Gwendal's office and they heard voices drifting through the door and they froze.

"Why can't I go with you on this journey?!" That was Günter. They both knew his wail well enough to tell that.

"As I've already explained to you, and as you already know," they heard Gwendal say, clearly annoyed with the situation, "you need to stay and keep watch of things here. We'll be gone for a lengthy period of time and I'm not entrusting this place to Anissina."

There was a pause and Yuuri and Wolfram glanced at each other. Yuuri took a step forward and reached for the doorknob only to freeze once more as Conrad's voice, quiet and curious, met their ears. "What are you worried about, Günter?"

Yuuri and Wolfram glanced at each other once more, both frowning, before leaning in together to hear a bit better.

Günter took a moment to respond but when he did, all traces of his normal outrageous, silly self was gone and replaced with complete seriousness. "How much do the two of you know about the king of Bordelais?"

"Not much at all, really," Gwendal replied, and they were left with the impression that Conrad must have nodded in agreement or something as he didn't speak.

So Günter continued. "Prior to Azrael III's rise to power, his mother, Queen Mary V ruled along side five noble families. Really, though, she didn't have a great deal of power. Power was shared among the nobles. They made their decisions for the country together and the monarch acted essentially as a figure-head instead of a lone ruler."

"And that changed when Azrael III became king?" Conrad asked, surprised. Yuuri and Wolfram leaned closer, their ears pressed against the cool wooden door.

There was a pause before Günter continued. "Not at first. It was a gradual process… not long after Azrael III's ascension to the throne, one of the nobles, and his entire family, were massacred in their home. Every last one of them, butchered. Their bodies took days to recover- their home was burned to the ground. And that was just the beginning of it. One by one, the other noble families were slaughtered in the same manner, until all that was left was the monarchy. And it stopped there. Nothing ever happened to Azrael… it was obvious that he was the one who had ordered the murders."

"Without the nobles to share power with, he has complete control," Gwendal said, voice dry.

"Correct. Complete and absolute control; that's what Azrael wanted, and that's what he took by force. He made all decisions alone, took control of the military, he owned all the businesses. Everything. The land was too big to completely govern without the nobles to reinforce laws and provide supervision in different areas, so he took on three vassals. The vassals would do nothing but oversee everything and would report directly to the king. They have no say in any sort of political matters, anything of that sort. They just… run the land that he owns."

Yuuri's frown deepened and he looked to Wolfram once more, who was staring at the door intently. He tugged on the blond's sleeve to get his attention and once he had it, mouthed, "What are they talking about?"

Wolfram shook his head and leaned back in to keep listening but a voice from behind them made them both leap back, eyes wide and breathing heavily. "I believe that's what is called eavesdropping."

"C-cousin Isaak!" Wolfram said, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck in a sheepish manner, eyes darting around widely and Yuuri wondered if he was perhaps looking for Freya. However, only the elder von Bielefeld was present. "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking past," Isaak said, looking from Wolfram, to Yuuri, who had pressed himself against the wall, arms sprawled and looking quite ridiculous, to the door behind them. "Is it wise to be listening in on them in a place where it's so easy to be caught?"

"We didn't _mean _to eavesdrop, we just…" Yuuri trailed off, not sure how to even begin to explain their current situation.

"You were just walking by and heard something interesting and couldn't help but listen?" Isaak offered, tilting his head to the side a bit, mirth dancing in his emerald eyes. "I know the feeling."

"S-so you won't tell, right?" Yuuri asked, nervously.

Isaak nodded, giving him a small smile, no words spoken.

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks! I don't think they'd be all that thrilled that we listened in…"

"Not that we didn't have every right to," Wolfram commented, taking a glance back at the door. "Keeping such information from us…"

"I'm guessing what you heard was very interesting, then?" Isaak said, looking past Wolfram to the door. "Curious. I'm sure they have their reasons for keeping from you… whatever it is they are keeping from you."

"Yeah…" Wolfram said, not taking his gaze off the door for a moment before looking back at Isaak. "We should step outside. Or at least move away from here. If they come out now…"

Yuuri and Isaak nodded and the three set off down the hall. "Where's Freya?" Wolfram asked, looking around again, frantic. "I've not seen her today."

"She's following your mother around," Isaak replied, turning his gaze upwards towards the heavens as if asking whatever deity was up there to spare all of them his sister's presence. "I doubt we'll be seeing her anytime soon."

Wolfram breathed a sigh of relief and Yuuri blinked at them. "She's not _that _bad, is she? I mean… she just seems really chipper to me."

"You don't live with her," Isaak said, frowning. "She's like that all the time. Hyperactive, not too bright… and just very, very clingy. It gets annoying very fast."

"And it never ceases to amaze me how the smallest things get her excited," Wolfram said, nodding at his cousin's words. "I remember that time I stayed with you two in Bielefeld manor and she yelled and ran around the courtyard for a half-hour because she saw a blue butterfly."

"She'd gotten worse since last time we saw you," said Isaak, and Wolfram looked at him, startled. "I'm not joking. She's worse."

"You guys shouldn't talk about your family like that," Yuuri said, looking between the two, disappointment evident in his voice. "I mean… she's a bit annoying but she's nice, at least, right? And she obviously cares about you two."

"I'm not saying I don't care about her," Isaak said and Wolfram nodded. "I can love someone and be annoyed by them."

"I'm not sure I see how you can really love someone who annoys you and bothers you that much," said Yuuri with a frown.

"You'd be surprised," said his fiancé, voice soft, gaze on the back of Yuuri's head as he walked a couple of steps ahead of them. "Very surprised just how easy it is. And you know," he raised his voice, quicken his step so he was walking beside Yuuri again, "you talk about your brother all the time and about how you don't like the way he treats you sometimes. How is it any different?"

"W-well, I mean… I guess it's not…" Yuuri was stepping away from Wolfram, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I-I just… I mean… it's not…"

"It's because she's a girl, isn't it," Wolfram shot, glaring at Yuuri and matching each of his movements and staying by his side. "You just want to stick up for her because she has a pretty face, is that it?"

"N-no, that's not it at all!"

"If it was her complaining about Isaak, you'd just nod and go along with it to get into her good favor! Ugh, I can't believe you! My cousin, Yuuri! It's bad enough that there are rumors going around about you and my brothers, now you're making moves on my brainless cousin!"

"I'm not making moves on anyone!"

"You unfaithful, ungrateful little-!"

"Ow! Wolfram, let go of my arm!"

Isaak watched the two bicker, highly amused and silent. He took a moment to glance back down the halls they had gone through. They were a long way away from Gwendal's office now. His eyebrow arched upwards and his lips pulled back in a curious smirk. "I wonder… if they know," he said to himself, glancing back at Yuuri and Wolfram a few paces ahead of him, "if they know… just what they're dealing with here."

* * *

**End chapter two**  
GAAAAH. I really wanted this chapter to be longer, at least as long as the first one, if not longer, but honestly this was all that was really needed. I decided against going on with this because for one thing… I need stuff to put in the next chapter (originally I was thinking of having a Yuuri and Wolfram family scene with Greta. That's been pushed to the next chapter.) And also, I really don't want to put in stuff just to take up pages. This was all that was _needed _this chapter to move the story forward and so I'll leave it at that. Putting in garbage just to make longer chapters isn't any fun to write, let alone read. Next chapter will probably be about this length but after that they should progressively get longer and longer.

Now, some reviews pointed out that the way Wolfram was treating Conrad in this story didn't entirely match up with the end of the series. I was going to have an author's notes explaining my reasoning behind this but I decided to try and just write it into the story itself, at the beginning with Yuuri. Hopefully it made sense, but if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask

**Chapter three: Departure**

Comments are loved, constructive criticism appreciated, and flames will be laughed at. If you must flame me, at least put some effort into it. I need a good laugh. 8D


	3. departure

**Title:** What a Wonderful World  
**Author:** Alice  
**Fandom(s):** Kyou Kara Maou!  
**Spoilers:** Spoilers through to the end of the second season; some hints at the events from the OVAs but not in great detail.  
**Pairings/Characters: **Yuuri/Wolfram, Conrad + Wolfram  
**Summary:** After an assassination attempt on Wolfram leaves the denizens of Blood Pledge Castle in shock, Yuuri takes it upon himself to assign Wolfram a lone personal knight who'll place Wolfram's wellbeing above even the king's safety.  
**Part:** 3/(?)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** Violence and gay; the best combination in the world. 8')  
**Disclaimer:** Alice does not own Kyou Kara Maou. And you all should be very, very thankful for that.  
**Author's Notes: **Okay so, in between the release of this chapter and the previous chapter, two things have occurred. First off, two new OVAs. Oh my. I still have no clue what the hell was going on in the 4th one and the 5th one was just hardxcore. Moving on to the point, another big event that has happened is the start of the third season. And uh, I'll try to avoid giving specific spoilers but it looks like we'll be getting at least a bit more of a look at Wolfram's family this season, which sort of renders the bit of back-story and family for him portrayed in this fic wrong. Which was obvious, but I'm just letting you guys know that since I started this before the new season came out; I'm flat-out ignoring the third season. Like, everything. Wolfram's family, Anissina's family, events, so on and so forth. We're just going to pretend it didn't happen and carry on. Now I think I understand how fans who were writing fic while the original series was still airing must of felt. Oh, canon. 8')  
Anyway, thank you guys for the excellent response  
I hope this chapter lives up to our expectations.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Departure**

Wolfram was somewhat surprised that Yuuri invited him. It thrilled him, certainly, but it wasn't what he was expecting from the king. He naturally agreed; the last day in the castle before setting out on a long journey should be spent with one's family. Or in the case, the people Wolfram considered to be his family.

Greta was the one who set it up, rummaging around with one of the maids to find a big, comfortable blanket, setting it up in the gardens, and asking the maids to bring the food. All Yuuri and Wolfram had to do was be there. How their daughter had managed to convince the others to give them their time alone was beyond them, but Yuuri was beyond grateful.

"Although," he admitted, taking a bite of an unusually colored apple, "Günter has been letting me skive off of lessons a bit more recently." This earned him a glare from Wolfram and he raised his hands in defense. "I-it's not my fault! He says he has other work to do and runs off! I don't even ask to be let go, he just… sends me off!" Wolfram's eyes narrowed at him. "I'm being honest!" Yuuri insisted.

"I think he's telling the truth, papa Wolfram," Greta said, looking up at him, curiously. "I saw Günter in the library earlier with a huge stack of books he was going through… I think he might be researching that strange magic from the ball."

"Ah," Wolfram said, still frowning at Yuuri. "Have you at least been doing something productive with your time to make up for lost lessons? Have you gotten any work with Gwendal done?"

"Some!" Yuuri said, nodding. "He's been lightening the load, though. He says that some of the documents need… follow-up? Or something like that. Anyway, he says that some of them will need lots of time to look over so it would be better to hold them off until after we return from Bordelais."

Greta pouted at the mention of the foreign kingdom her two fathers would be leaving for the next day. "Do you really have to go?"

Yuuri raised his hand to stroke her hair and gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, we do… It would be rude not to. But you don't have to worry, Greta, we'll be back soon!"

"Your father's right," Wolfram added. "Anissina will be back tomorrow, and the maids will be here, and mother. Günter's staying behind, too. You'll have lots of people to play with and entertain you while we're away and then, before you know it, we'll be back."

Greta nibbled on a piece of bread and looked between the two boys. "You'll be alright? What if something happens to you and you don't… come back to Greta!"

Her father gathered the young girl up in his arms and held her tightly to his chest. "Don't worry, Greta," he muttered to her, soothingly. "Nothing's going to happen to us. Wolfram and I will protect each other, and Conrad will be there, and Gwendal. Even if someone tries something, we're fully prepared to fight!"

Greta was quiet for a moment, her gaze lingering on Wolfram, who was smiling at her reassuringly. "You weren't… prepared for the ball."

Wolfram's eyes widened at Greta's words and he and Yuuri exchanged worried glances. "That was… different, Greta. That was a surprise attack. We're going into enemy territory; we'll be fully prepared for any sort of confrontation." He scooted forward to sit next to Yuuri and reached out to place a hand on her smaller one. "We'll be alright, Greta. You don't have to worry."

She blinked up at him, then at Yuuri, and a small smile spread across her face. "I guess you guys are right… Yuuri and papa Wolfram will look after each other!"

"That's right," Wolfram said, nodding. He glanced at Yuuri, who shot him a sheepish grin, and Wolfram's cheeks turned just a bit pink.

"Günter isn't going to be happy about being left behind again," Greta commented and Yuuri let out a nervous laugh.

"You… you'd think! But he actually volunteered to stay behind. It was bizarre."

"Günter has been acting weird since the night of the attack," Wolfram said, glancing towards the castle.

"Do you think something's wrong with him?" Yuuri asked.

"Something's always been wrong with Günter," Wolfram replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the currently-not-present advisor. "But I'm not sure… what's wrong with him now."

"He seems very determined to learn more about that strange magic that attacked you, Wolfram," Greta added, sliding out of Yuuri's grasp to snatch a sandwich from the basket of food she had had the maids prepare.

"Yeah, that's true… Not only that, though, but he's also just seemed very out-of-it in lessons. Like, there were times when his voice would trail off mid-sentence and he'd stand there looking out the window with a weird expression on his face. I'd have to go snap my fingers by his ear to get him to respond to me!" Yuuri frowned as he recalled these memories of the past few weeks. It was something he'd noticed, subconsciously, but didn't really think on or find truly strange until he said it out loud. "Could he be sick or something?"

"I have no idea," Wolfram said, accepting a purple fruit offered to him by Greta. "You know…" he said, taking a small bite and looking around the gardens with a small smile on his face. "I'm glad the weather's nice today."

Greta giggled and nodded, following Wolfram's gaze. "Definitely!" she said, excited, all thoughts of Günter pushed from her mind in an instant. "This is a great way to spend the day with my two favorite people." She took another bite while Yuuri and Wolfram exchanged grins before they both followed Greta's example and carried on with their meal.

* * *

There were few things in the world that truly made Günter von Kleist angry. One of those things was people snooping around in his personal business. He liked to keep his private life _private_ and some people seemed to lack respect for that and it frustrated and angered him. He particularly hated it when people went into his private chambers, announced or unannounced, but especially unannounced for obvious reasons. But above all else he hated it when people snooped in his personal business _in _his private chambers _while _Günter was in there trying to work, as he was when there was a sharp knock at his door that pulled him from his deep thought.

Günter glanced towards the door and let out a sigh. "Who is it?" he said, doing his best to maintain his calm demeanor.

"I need to speak to you," came Gwendal's voice from the other side of the door.

Günter sighed a second time and called to Gwendal, "It's open; you may enter."

Gwendal opened the door and walked in, eyes darting around the unfamiliar area, taking in the pile of books, some so worn from use that pages were falling out and they were everywhere, just stacks of books and little else. He rarely came in to Günter's room, he could only recall one or two instances over the course of Günter's time at the castle that he'd needed to and it always amazed him how untidy and cluttered the advisor's room was.

"What is it you need, Gwendal?" Günter asked, attention directed back towards the book on the desk in front of him.

"Have you found any information concerning the magic used to attack my brother?" Gwendal asked, getting straight to the point.

"Not yet," Günter said, sadly, "but I'm still researching diligently. But is that all? I think that that question could have waited until tomorrow…"

Gwendal was silent and Günter's eyes narrowed a bit but he didn't raise his gaze to meet the younger man's. "Gwendal?"

Gwendal let out an exasperated sigh and raised his hand to massage his temple, more and more wrinkles creasing his brow. "Five times, Ulrike said, was how many times that that different magic was used. Only five."

"Is this strange to you?"

"Four times it was the person who attacked Wolfram, correct? And it was during the actual attack. The fifth was another person interfering."

Günter nodded. "Go on."

"They used magic to transport out. So how did they get in?"

Günter raised his head, slowly, to look at Gwendal, eyebrows raised. "You think… someone helped them enter the castle?"

"How else could they have gotten in without someone noticing?!"

"Have you spoken to any of the guards about this? They could have snuck in."

"No one saw _anything_," Gwendal ground out, clearly fuming. "Yozak scouted the area and there's no evidence anywhere that that person forced entry. The only other option was if they were smuggled in."

"Someone would have noticed."

"There were a lot of people at that party that I didn't recognize. Guests, consorts, _concubines_, a whole slew of people who were invited by nobles."

Günter blinked. "Gwendal, are you suggesting… you think that one of the _nobles_ plotted to have Wolfram killed?"

Gwendal nodded.

"That's a very bold accusation, Gwendal. To even suspect treason!" Günter blinked a few times before he continued to speak, quietly, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Have you… told anyone else about your suspicions? Besides Yozak?"

"No."

Günter nodded and took in a deep breath. "This is something that must be handled with great care, Gwendal. Be sure to only relay this information to people you absolutely trust."

"I would send Yozak out to investigate further but he'll be accompanying His Majesty on the voyage to Bordelais," Gwendal said, frowning. "So for the time being it'll just be the two of us. We'll have to keep our wits about us and pay extra close attention for any signs of suspicious activity."

"Indeed," Günter said softly, shutting his eyes tightly as though he thought it would make all the stress vanish into thin air, "If that's all you wish to tell me, Gwendal, then you may leave now. I should continue researching for any information on Wolfram's attackers."

"Of course," Gwendal said and he turned to leave but something caught his eye and he turned back, eyes narrowing. "Günter?"

"Yes?"

"That book is blank. There's nothing written in it."

There was a pause in which Günter looked from Gwendal to the book and back at Gwendal and smiled at him. "Indeed it is."

Gwendal opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it, and with a last look at Günter's book and a quick bow, he exited the room.

Günter stared at the door a moment longer before turning back to look at his book. He sighed and shook his head, slowly. "I have my suspicions too, Gwendal…" he said, leaning forward and pressing his palm against the page of the book. Words suddenly began swirling across the page, glowing an eerie black and blue and they floated, drifting on and off the page, disappearing into thin air and reappearing again and Günter watched them, eyes darting back and forth as though he were reading a normal book and absorbing all which he read. "And I hope that they are not true… but if they are… then we have far more than just a traitor in our midst."

* * *

They left at dawn to begin their journey to the sea. Yuuri and Wolfram said goodbye to Greta, who had cried just a little, and they comforted her, telling her not to worry, they'd be back soon, and just like that they were on their way.

They're first few days of traveling were relatively uneventful. Some days they were able to make it to a town and stay in inns but there were some days when they found the sun setting while they were in the forest and had to set up camp there. Conversation on the road was fairly dull, mostly complaining from Yuuri about why Bordelais had to be _so_ far away, talk of Greta, and horror stories of what Anissina was up to. Stories of home. Yuuri questioned now and then what life in Bordelais was like and what he could expect and if there were any certain customs he needed to know ("Don't want to end up accidentally engaged to someone else… Ow, Wolfram! What was that for?!") Murata was surprisingly unhelpful.

"In all my years," he said, "I've never once actually visited the country and it _is _far away so news of it rarely reached my ears…" Yozak and the others were equally clueless. It was a completely new place, a new experience, for all of them, and though none of them said it aloud, it was clear that this was making all of them a bit nervous and Yuuri found himself starting to wish that he'd denied the offer to visit in the first place.

* * *

"Captain!"

Conrad's ears perked up at the sound of Yozak calling to him from across the make-shift camp and he stood, slowly and moved to join his friend, who was staring intently out into the dark forest. He moved carefully so as not to awaken any of the boys who were currently sleeping peacefully. "What is it? Did you see something?" he asked as he reached Yozak's side and he glanced in the direction Yozak was looking for any sign of movement.

Yozak nodded his head and jerked it towards the woods. "Something… or someone was perched in that tree over there…"

"Watching us?"

"Not quite."

Conrad's eyes narrowed at this. "What do you mean?"

"They were watching you. The entire time they're focus was completely on you… and… Captain, this isn't the first time I've seen them."

"What?!" Conrad had to fight to keep his voice quiet. "This person has been following us and you didn't see fit to tell me this?"

"Quite honestly," Yozak said, sheepishly, "I thought you'd noticed already."

"I hadn't."

"Obviously." Yozak sighed and ran his hand through his orange hair. "I didn't want to alarm His Majesty and them without cause and this person has done nothing but watch _you _this entire time."

"What did they look like?"

"I haven't been able to see clearly. Too dark. I've just seen their silhouette. They're fairly small, I'd say only a bit taller than His Majesty and lithe, but that's all I can make out. They say me watching them watching you for the first time tonight and ran for it."

Conrad glared into the woods as though he thought the stalker in question was just outside his line of vision. "Do you get the impression that this person poses a threat?"

"I'm not sure… but do we really want to run the risk that they could be?"

Conrad nodded in understanding and slowly drew his sword. "Which way did they go?" Yozak gestured in the direction the person had fled and Conrad nodded. "Look after His Majesty and them while I'm gone."

"What should I tell them if they wake up?" Yozak asked, casting a glance over his shoulder at the boys.

"Make something up," Conrad said, rolling his eyes. Yozak grinned widely and nodded and watched as Conrad walked away into the woods and before long he was gone, his shape no longer illuminated by the light of the fire.

Conrad was never the best tracker in the dark but here, in the dead silence of the dark forest, he found it much more difficult. At the slightest sound, the smallest crack of a twig, he'd jump, whirl around, sword raised and prepared to strike only to find it was nothing but a harmless squirrel. This carried on for quite some time and Conrad was getting more and more frustrated and began to think that the person Yozak had seen was long gone when he heard something moving above him, as though someone was walking along the branches of the tree. He turned and stared up into the darkness where he thought he heard the sound and followed it and realized quickly that the person was literally walking in circles around him.

"What kind of game is this?" Conrad said, quietly, more to himself than anyone else but it earned him a laugh from the person above, a musical laugh that sounded strange in the dark of the forest.

"It's a very _fun _game!" the person above said gleefully. "A very fun game indeed! Even more fun because you came alone! I was worried for a bit that when you came you'd bring that strawberry friend of yours."

"Who are you?" Conrad said, mentally loathing the fact that he couldn't see who he was speaking to. "Why are you following us?"

"Not 'us.' You!"

Conrad frowned. So Yozak was right. This person had a fixation on him. "Why me? What do you want?"

"Ohhhh, I can't say! That'd be telling and if I tell then the game is over and what fun would that be?"

"I don't have the patience to play you're little game!" Conrad yelled, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly. "My little brother was attacked recently. The King's fiancé. Tell me, did you have something to do with it?"

"Oh, no, no! Of course not. Not at all."

Conrad scowled. This person spoke in such a way that it was hard to tell his sarcasm from his normal tone. "Show yourself to me. Come down here and face me with honor."

There was a pause.

"Mmmm, okay!" And suddenly behind Conrad, the person dropped down from the trees and landed gracefully and Conrad whirled around, stunned. He thought he'd been facing the person, how had he appeared behind him? Conrad's sword was pointed at him instantly and he took a few steps back and surveyed the person in front of him. Yozak had been correct about their build for he was only a few inches taller than Yuuri and he was lean and pale with short strawberry blond hair that stood out in the darkness. What also jumped out at Conrad and made him raise his eyebrows was the person's attire. A pale yellow undershirt with long sleeves underneath a black vest, and he wore black pants and a black hat and he was smiling Conrad as though he knew exactly what Conrad was thinking and was highly amused by it. "They say black is a royal color, one made for kings and queens… I think that's pretty silly, it's just a color after all!" His grin grew wider here. "And it's a color I like so I wear it! I think I work it well. It's a good thing you're little brother isn't here to see me, though, he'd think I was stealing his king away, wouldn't he?"

"He'd think you were disrespecting His Majesty, which you _are_," Conrad said forcefully.

The boy shrugged, clearly uninterested in the matter and so Conrad continued. "What business do you have with me? And tell me truthfully, did you have any involvement with the attack on Wolfram von Bielefeld!"

The boy shook his head. "I told you, no. I don't. I have no reason to attack him, it doesn't benefit me in anyway."

"If you aren't involved, do you know who is behind it?"

"I have an idea."

"Tell me!"

The boy took a moment to ponder this over before he grinned again and winked at Conrad. "It's a secret!"

Conrad's patience was growing very, very thin. "Alright, then," he said through gritted teeth, "if you weren't involved in Wolfram's attack and you aren't here to harm His Majesty, then what is it you're after?"

"I already told you!" he said with exasperation, throwing up his arms. "I'm here for you!"

"What do you mean, here for me?! Why?"

"Because I'm on," he lowered his voice suddenly, "a secret mission. And for the first time," he said normally, "my mission coincides with yours so I thought to myself, 'why not go see what Conrart is doing?' And here I am."

Conrad blinked. "A mission? For what?"

"I'm looking for something."

"Looking for what?"

"Something important."

"I figured that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I was hoping for specifics."

"Oh. Well. Too bad, it's a secret!"

"Right then, fine. I still don't see what this has to do with me? I don't even know you! Tell me you're name!"

"My name…?" The boy tilted his head to the side and blinked as though he didn't understand what was being asked of him. "My name. Yes. My name, name, what's in a name?"

"Tell me."

"Really, Master," came a voice suddenly from behind Conrad, up in the trees and he spun around, sword raised once more. Where had another person come from?! "You should just humor him, the poor man seems so confused and fidgety."

"Yeaaaaaah, I guess so," the boy said.

"Show yourself!" Conrad called to the person in the tree and he quickly had to step back as not a person but an animal leapt down and stood before him. It was a fox, a regular looking red fox. But the moment Conrad made eye-contact with the creature he knew it wasn't normal at all because the thing _smiled _at him, almost apologetically.

"Please forgive me," the creature said, "but this is my master's will."

"Oh, don't apologize, Anselm!" The boy called but Conrad barely heard it.

"You've got a fox as your familiar," he said, lamely, looking between the animal and its master. "A talking fox."

"Anselm isn't a familiar!" The boy said, placing his hands on his hips. "He's my best friend! And stop calling me master," he added to the fox who only shook his head.

"I've never seen such a thing. Are you not from this country?"

"No, I'm a Mazoku from Shin Makoku," the boy said, blinking at Conrad as though he thought that was the dumbest question in the universe.

"Then what do you _want _with me?!" Conrad said once again, mentally promising that if this blond person didn't give him a proper answer this time he'd hit something. Preferably the boy in question but he'd settle for a tree. Maybe.

"Make up your mind, do you want my name or what do you want from me?"

"I WANT YOUR NAME and I'd like to know what _you _want with _me_!" Conrad yelled, half a second away from just slicing the boy where he stood.

"Oh, well, then."

And suddenly Conrad felt a blade being pressed to his back. "Let's get on with it then," the boy whispered and Conrad was suddenly thrown forward and he turned quickly to find the boy had a sword drawn and seemed to be prepared to duel him. "Good job, Anselm!" he called to the fox, who moved away to stand amongst the trees to watch from a safe distance. "You distracted him perfectly!"

Conrad blinked quickly, trying to figure out what had just happened. How had this person gotten so close to him without him noticing?

And he was fast, too, for Conrad barely had time to register hat he had even moved before he had to bring his sword up to block the assault. And it continued on, the blond striking and Conrad defending. Every now and then there was an opening and Conrad make a lunge but the younger always managed to twist away. The way he moved, it was like he was dancing and Conrad saw it as nothing more than a mockery. He just wouldn't hold _still_! But he was also, Conrad noticed, very repetitive. His movements very rarely were varied, it was just the same routine over and over again and the more he did it the more Conrad was able to counter and soon they were equal, one neither having the upper hand over the other and they came to a standstill.

"You're finished," Conrad growled as he pushed his blade against that of the blond, who was grinning at him over their locked weapons. "There's nothing you can do to surprise me now."

"Oh, is that so?" he replied and before Conrad even knew what was happening, the smaller one had swung his sword out wide, sending Conrad reeling back but the boy reached forward and grabbed him by his arm, pushing forward to keep the weapon away from himself for a moment. And then he let go of Conrad's arm and gave Conrad quite a surprise.

He threw his arms around Conrad's neck and kissed him full on the mouth.

Conrad froze, his mind going blank and his body going numb as the blond pressed forward, deepening the one-sided kiss and Conrad could hear a faint buzzing in the back of his head as he tried to register just what was going on.

Blond boy with pet fox had been stalking him. Okay, got that.  
Conrad smartly went to investigate. Check.  
Blond boy had infuriated Conrad. Check, check, and _check_.  
They fought. Alright, Conrad was still following for the most part.  
Blond boy kissed Conrad out of the blue.

Nope, that last one was still not making any sense in the grand scheme of things.

And just as suddenly as the kiss had started it was over and Conrad blinked rapidly. He looked up and saw the boy standing, perfectly balanced (how was that even possible?) on a tree branch, Anselm the fox at his side. "Well, then, I've gotten what I came here for. Best get back to work," he said, grinning at Conrad, who just stared blankly back at him. "And since you asked," the boy added, "you can call me Basil."

And then he was gone.

Several minutes later Conrad returned to camp and ignored Yozak when he questioned him about what had happened. Instead, he just positioned himself back into his place on guard duty and stared off into the distance for a few minutes before he stood and shot a glare at Yozak and informed him that he was going to bed. And he went to sleep knowing that that obnoxious smile would haunt him in his dreams but at the same time, his mind was racing.

After all, that person – or Basil, rather – had said he hadn't been involved in the attack on Wolfram.

And yet there had been something distinctly… magical about him. In the way he moved, in his speed, it wasn't _normal_, it wasn't natural, and it wasn't something that normal Mazoku could do.

_Which may or may not mean_, Conrad thought as he settled down for sleep, _that we have more than just one enemy who possess this strange magic that even Ulrike and the Great Sage don't know…_

And that certainly wasn't a comforting thought to fall asleep to.

**End chapter three.**

* * *

So I lied, this chapter ended up being shorter than the last. Oh well. I decided that I wanted this was the best place to end it. If I continued on with the next scene this chapter would have been like… ridiculous. This was really the best place to end, yes.

On that note, Basil… was not originally intended to be introduced this early. But I changed my mind last minute and decided to bring him in sooner so I could play with him more. He'll appear sporadically throughout the story.

Anyway, sorry for the wait on this chapter! I'm sure it certainly doesn't live up to the expectations people had and I apologize for that. I enjoyed writing it, though (especially the Conrad v. Basil sequence, which was fun.) So I hope you guys still like it and I promise the wait for the next chapter won't be this long. And hopefully it'll be a longer chapter; I feel lame writing short chapters like this one. :

ANYWAY.  
**Chapter four: The Sirens' Song of the Sea**

As far as criticism goes; I'm looking mainly at characterization here. How did I do on keeping them in-character? That, to me, is my biggest concern and any help and hints would be greatly appreciated.

Comments are loved, constructive criticism appreciated, and flames will be laughed at. If you must flame me, at least put some effort into it. I need a good laugh. 8D


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